


old friends

by Ohcaptainswanmycaptainswan



Series: thirteen fanzine prompts [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Team as Family, im sorry, it also hurt me, this is a family fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 10:01:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18618346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ohcaptainswanmycaptainswan/pseuds/Ohcaptainswanmycaptainswan
Summary: response to thirteen fanzine's prompt, old friends





	old friends

“Out of all the places,” said Ryan. “ _ All the places _ , in the entire  _ universe _ , in time and space, and you choose to go to 2019  _ London _ ?”

 

Graham shrugged. “Been meaning to come back here for a while. Grace and I wanted to go see the changing of the guard at the palace, never seen that before. And I suppose we just never got around to it. Now’s as good a time as any to come.”

 

Their small group pushed their way down a hot, crowded street. Groups of tourists huddled together, gawping around at the skyline while simultaniously trying to shield their eyes from the blazing sun. Locals wove their way wearily through the bunches, all intent on their destinations. Yaz knocked shoulders with a man wearing AirPods, who didn’t even seem to notice the collision. As the man ran off down the street, Yaz rubbed her shoulder pointedly at his back, miffed. 

 

Ryan shook his head in disbelief. “If you wanted to go to London, why couldn’t we have made it interesting? Like London in a hundred years from now? Or a hundred years ago? We could go to modern London any old time, we don’t need the Doctor to take us.”

 

“But I love London,” interjected the Doctor. “And what if I wanted to come with you lot? Never been to 2019 London with the fam. Should be fun, right?”

 

“At least there won’t be any running from aliens around here,” said Yaz. “Not in boring old London.”

 

“Exactly why I wanted to come,” said Graham. “Take a break from the danger. There’s no danger here, right, Doctor?”

 

“No! Course not. Why would there be danger in London?” The Doctor cleared her throat awkwardly. “What a ridiculous notion.” 

 

“Well, since we’re here, could we go to the Tower of London?” asked Yaz, pulling at the Doctor’s sleeve in excitement. “I love the swords they’ve got there. I’ve always wanted to hold one, though.”

 

The Doctor grinned back at her. 

 

“When we’re done here, I’ll take you back to meet Robin Hood,” she promised. “You can wield all the swords you want there. Or the spoons. Much more dangerous than a sword, the spoon.”

 

“Really?” asked Ryan. “Robin Hood’s real?”

 

“Course he’s real,” said the Doctor. “Never doubt that for a second. Although, I will say, he’s a right -  _ oof _ .”

 

A child slammed into her, cutting off whatever the Doctor had been about to say. Stopped in his headlong rush down the street, the boy took a step back, staring up at her with wide eyes. The Doctor stared back at him, confused.

 

“Hello, there,” said Yaz. “Are you alright?”

 

The boy spun to face her, then quickly nodded his head. A girl ran up next to him, freezing in her tracks when she saw the group surrounding her and the boy.

 

“Ella! Joshua! Get back here!”

 

A voice split the air, emanating from behind the depths of a tourist group. 

 

“Is that your mummy?” asked Graham, crouching next to the two kids, a grandfatherly smile on his face. The girl nodded mutely and Graham nodded back at her. “Well, then. Shall we go find her? You don’t want to go wandering off.”

 

“He’s right,” said the Doctor. “All sorts around here. Best to stick with your mummy.”

 

“Joshua! Ella! There you are!”

 

A woman with deep red hair pushed her way commandingly through the group of middle aged women taking a selfie on a selfie stick. 

 

“Oi! Watch it!” complained one woman. “We’re taking a picture, here.”

 

“You watch it, missy,” snapped the red haired woman. “I’m looking for my children. You’re just looking for validation from Instagram. Well, sorry to break it to you, but that’s not going to happen. Not with that hair. Ever heard of dye? Gets rid of the greys.”

 

The other woman gaped at her, but the red haired woman didn’t seem to notice, her eyes on the two children. Running up to them, the woman seized their hands.

 

“What have I told you two about running off?” she demanded. “Don’t scare me like that, not in the middle of London. I can’t lose you two, your father would never let me hear the end of it.”

 

The boy shuffled his feet, looking at the ground. The girl bit her lip, then cuddled up close to her mother.

 

“You two alright, then?” said Ryan. “Not hurt from crashing into the Doctor, here?”

 

The woman looked up sharply.

 

“What’s that?” she asked, her eyes falling on Ryan, Yaz, Graham, and the Doctor a few feet away. As the woman’s gaze fell on her, the Doctor jumped slightly, her eyes widening. But the woman looked back down at her two children, a frown on her face. “Did you two crash into these nice people?”

 

The boy, Joshua, nodded sheepishly. The woman sighed.

 

“Well, have you apologized?” she asked. “Where’s your manners? I taught you better than this.”

 

“Sorry,” he whispered, glancing quickly up at the Doctor then back down at the ground again. 

 

The Doctor didn’t respond, still gaping slightly at the woman. Yaz nudged her.

 

“Doctor,” she whispered. “Say something.”

 

“... what?” the Doctor asked.

 

The woman frowned at her, her attention caught by the Doctor’s silence.

 

“Why are you staring at me?” she asked. “Is there something on my face? Oh god, is there a giant spider on my back or something? I  _ hate  _ spiders.”

 

“I… no!” said the Doctor, snapping to life again. “Nothing’s on your back. Sorry. You just remind me of someone.”

 

“Someone good, I hope,” said the woman. “Not an old lover or anything that ended poorly.”

 

“No! Not a lover,” said the Doctor quickly. “Just an old friend. And the most important woman in the entire universe.” 

 

“Right… Well, then, I’ll be off,” said the woman. “Lots to do. Thanks for stopping my children from running too far off. Come on, you two.”

 

The Doctor suddenly stepped forward, thrusting her hand out to the woman. “I’m the Doctor, by the way.”

 

The woman stared in surprise at her hand, then glanced at the Doctor’s face. 

 

“I’m Donna,” she said, taking the Doctor’s hand. “Donna Temple-Noble. Have we… have we met before?”

 

“No,” said the Doctor shortly. “We’ve never met before. It’s very nice to meet you, Donna. Donna Temple-Noble.”

 

“Funny,” muttered Donna, squinting harder at the Doctor’s face. “I could have sworn… oh well. Never mind. You must have one of those faces. You know, those ones that seem really familiar.”

 

“That must be it,” said the Doctor, pulling her hand back and shoving it into her coat pocket. “Just one of those faces! I get that a lot, me.”

 

Ryan frowned.

 

“You’ve never gotten that -  _ oof _ .” He cut off at Yaz’s elbow to his ribs.

 

“Shh,” she hissed at him. Glaring at her, Ryan settled into a sulky silence. The Doctor didn’t notice, still staring at Donna. 

 

“Aren’t you hot in that coat?” asked Donna. “It’s a million degrees out.”

 

The Doctor shrugged. “Not really, no. I like it.”

 

“Must be one of the advantages to being a beanpole,” said Donna wistfully. “Don’t get hot quickly. Well, anyways, I should be off. Nice to meet you lot. Bye now.”

 

“Donna!”

 

She turned back at the Doctor’s shout. “What is it?”

 

“Are you…” The Doctor bit her lip. “Are you happy?”

 

Donna made a noise of disgust. “Well that’s very cheeky of you. What type of question is that? Asking that when we’ve only just met. Am I happy. Why would you ask that?”

 

“No reason,” said the Doctor. “I just… want to know. Are you happy, Donna?”

 

Donna opened her mouth saucily, then closed it, a thoughtful expression on her face. 

 

“Are you sure we’ve never met?” she asked again. “Because I could have sworn my grandfather said something once about a doctor…” 

 

“Must be some other doctor,” said the Doctor. “Very common title. I could name you twelve men who also went by the Doctor. Maybe it was one of them that your grandfather knows.”

 

“Knew,” corrected Donna absentmindedly. “And maybe…” 

 

Joshua and Ella fidgeted as Donna made no move to leave, her eyes fastened to the Doctor’s. Yaz shifted uncomfortably, the hot sun beating down on her. Vaguely, she wished for a drink of water. Graham sighed. 

 

“Doc?” He prodded her gently. “You ready to go?”

 

She jumped. 

 

“Yes! Yes, I am.” Turning to leave, she smiled sadly at Donna. “Goodbye, then.”

 

“Oi! Wait!” shouted Donna. The Doctor paused, turning back to Donna. Cocking her head slightly, Donna nodded. “I am.”

 

“What?”

 

“You asked me if I was happy,” said Donna. “Well, I am. Got two beautiful children, a husband, and a nagging mother who won’t move out. And on clear nights, we can go out and see the stars. What more could I ask for?”

 

“Nothing,” whispered the Doctor. “Nothing more. Goodbye, Donna Noble.” 

 

Donna laughed. “Noble. Haven’t heard anyone call me just Donna Noble in… oh, must be ten years now. Goodbye, though.”

 

The Doctor nodded at her, then turned, striding back down the street in the direction they had come from. Yaz hurried to catch up to her, pushing her way through the crowds quickly. Behind her, the masses swarmed, swallowing Donna and her children from view quickly. 

 

“Doc!” called Graham. “Doc, that’s not the way to Buckingham Palace. We’re going to miss the changing of the guard.” 

 

The Doctor laughed brightly. “That? Oh, that’s boring, Graham. Come on, all of time and space at our fingertips, we can come back to that. How about I take you to see the first formal changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace? Or to meet Robin Hood now? Or, I know, we could -”

 

“Doctor, why are we running?” asked Ryan, puffing slightly from trying to follow the Doctor. “You only run when there’s something dangerous. Or apple bobbing. Oh my god. Wait. Is there something dangerous here?”

 

“Who was that woman?” asked Yaz. “Did you know her? You were acting really weird. Even by your standards. Doctor?”

 

The Doctor stopped abruptly, her eyes fastened on the TARDIS sitting on the opposite corner of the street. 

 

“Yes.”

 

Graham frowned. “What?”

 

“Yes, there’s danger here. We need to go, now.”

 

Graham took her elbow. “Does it have to do with that woman? What’s the danger?”

 

The Doctor looked at him, infinite sadness filling her eyes.

 

“Me. I’m the danger.” 

 

“That doesn’t make any sense -”

 

“No time, Graham!” interrupted the Doctor, her face lighting up again. Yet sadness still lurked in her eyes, deep in the depths of her sunny smile. “Lots to do, lots to see. Allons-y! Ooh, no, never mind. Not saying that again. That’s not me. Not anymore.” 

 

**Author's Note:**

> im sorry. i half cried while writing this its fine


End file.
